As I said in my previous post, Bridge Day is a very popular event in West Virginia. According to officialbridgeday.com, Bridge Day is the largest single-day festival in West Virginia. They close down the New River Gorge Bridge for people to not only walk across, but serious BASE jumpers can jump off the bridge into the over 800 foot gorge! No, we did not do this, but many people did! On your way to the bridge, there are vendors set up and lots of local arts and crafts for sale. People also go white water rafting under the bridge and get an amazing view of the BASE jumpers.
The morning of Bridge Day, Mom and I got up early and headed down to Grandview Main Overlook which is technically located in New River Gorge National Park (which is also known as the newest national park, the bridge is part of it too). It was beautiful and we were not the only ones with the same idea. There were a few people already set up with their tripods.
As the sun rose, the view became more and more beautiful.
A kind man who had already jumped the fence, which you are not supposed to do, took a few pictures for us.
After that we drove to the Concho Rim Overlook. This is located near ACE Adventure Resort which has whitewater rafting tours and more. The road here was narrow and not paved, but well maintained with gravel. Once we got to the Concho Rim Overlook, they had a sign saying Closed for Private Event. Mom and I figured, it was 8am, they are probably just setting up. So we walked in anyway just to get a glimpse of the view! It looked like they were setting up for a wedding.
After trespassing, we headed back to our VRBO for breakfast.
Once our bellies were full, we packed up to go hike Long Point Trail, a 3 mile hike. This hike is easy to moderate. The beginning is very easy and people were riding their bikes. There is a point where the bikes are supposed to tie up, at that point the trail gets narrow and has less visibility. It is worth it though!
At the end you get a full view of the bridge and since it is Bridge Day, you can see the BASE jumpers!
There were 4 men who jumped out of a plane and flew the American Flag!
Then we headed back for lunch. I wasn't sure what the food situation would be on the bridge, but I am somewhat glad we stopped at home because bags larger than a purse must be clear, there are so many people that the lines for food were long, and some venders ran out of food. We took the bus service which you can find on officialbridgeday.com. The buses stop taking people to the bridge at 1:30pm so that they can start to clear out the bridge by 5pm. I understand the thought, but it seemed a little premature. Be sure to bring cash for the vendors and they stop selling at 3pm. From where the bus drops you off, it is a 1 mile walk to the bridge. Wear comfortable shoes!
Watching the jumpers was incredible!
It is pretty crazy that they shut down the entire bridge just for this day. The traffic is crazy so do not plan on doing anything around the area until the bridge opens back up at 5pm, they close the bridge early in the morning as well.
That evening we headed out to Diamond Point Overlook via Endless Wall Trail, 2.4 miles.
When we got to the end, people were walking on tight ropes!
After watching them and being amazed, we relaxed and watched the sun go down. While sitting there, my mom was complaining that she wasn't getting much water out of her water bladder... I immediately started laughing because I realized my mom never removed the plastic cover from when it was bought. So, all day my mom had been complaining that she was getting cramps and feeling dehydrated. We finally figured out why!
It was a great spot to watch the sunset and it wasn't too busy. On the hike back, we took a few more pictures of the leaves.
That night we headed to Pies & Pints. It was very busy because of Bridge Day and college football, but they were able to get us in!
After eating, we sat outside at our fire.
The original plan was not to do all the hikes in one day, but due to the weather, we had to. I'd say it was worth it!
Comments